UK: Tier 1 immigration rules update

from 6 April 2015, Tier 1 (General) migrants will no longer be able to apply for an extension to their leave to remain in the UK; and

from 6 April 2018, Tier 1 (General) migrants will no longer be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILTR) in the UK.

We informed our clients and contacts shortly after the announcement and have since been working with companies to ensure that Tier 1 (General) migrants are well prepared to submit extension applications before this April’s deadline or that alternative arrangements for their continued employment have been made.

As applications (and, in particular, the supporting documentation) can take time to pull together, we strongly recommend that, if they have not already done so, all employers undertake a speedy audit of all migrant workers to ensure that appropriate strategies are in place to ensure that business critical personnel are not lost due to an oversight with their immigration status.

If you have any concerns or queries about how best to manage this upcoming change, please let us know.

Bird & Bird has extensive experience in advising on a wide range of immigration issues and applications, as well as supporting businesses and senior executives with their overall HR strategies of which these form a part – working seamlessly alongside our international Employment, Tax and Employee Incentives & Benefits teams to do so. Our Business Immigration team is international and covers the 18 countries where the firm has a presence, in addition to a large number of others where we have alliance relationships in place, providing a complete ' global mobility' service.